The Notebook Of Fate
by WishMakerStorytelling
Summary: 5 years after the events of Awakening, the cast of Fire Emblem: Awakening and EarthBound join forces to unravel the mystery surrounding the Notebook of Fate and the Eternity Quill, able to write out the destinies of heroes. With a cryptic message, they journey to Calagua, north of Ylisse, that has a corrupt government where all is not as it seems. Enjoy!
1. Calagua

The wind and snow battered down on Chrom and company. Morale was low and the temperature was lower- the icy mountains north of Ylisse were proving harsh.

"Chrom... how much longer?" Robin asked, shivering.

"I don't... know..." Came the response. "Nowi, c-check the map." Nowi opened up Chrom's backpack and pulled out a well-worn map with many faded colored dots on it. As she scanned the tan-colored page, a light of knowledge came over her pale face.

"We're h-here, I believe." Chrom and friends huddled around Nowi, all trying to get a look at the paper. Nowi pointed her frozen finger at an area of the map, indicating they were there.

"Hell! We have all that to go?" Sully exclaimed, driving her lance into the snow, sending up clouds of the puffy white substance all around her feet.

"We can't turn back now," Morgan raised her voice. "If we're going to reach this... Calagua, whatever you call it, we're going to need to stick together and keep our wits about us.

"Easy for you to say! You have your father's brain!" Lucina joked, and the rest of the group managed a laugh or two. In spite of the bitter cold, the group of Ylisseans were still in good spirits. To Robin's eyes, it was a wonderful sight. As the group turned to shuffle forward, Robin let his mind wander far, far from the mountains. _Why am I doing this? What's Calagua like? Hostile? Friendly? Nonexistent? What do I plan to do there anyways? What's for dinner?_ He let his mind come back to the present situation, finding comfort in listening to the sounds of his team-mates. Cordelia was comforting a crying Lissa, if tears could even form in these gods-forsaken temperatures. Sully, as usual, was cursing. Lon'qu glared at her until she stopped. Nowi and Morgan walked side-by-side, discussing Manakete fighting techniques. Lucina and Inigo were talking dinner. Something Robin was interested in. He slowed his pace to match Lucina and Inigo's.

"So, what are you guys coming up with for food tonight? I don't know about you, but I'm starving!"

"We're all starving!" Lissa complained, before Cordelia shushed her.

"Hmmm..." Inigo looked thoughtful. "I was considering steaks and potatoes, if that's all right with Milady here," He added.

"I don't mind," Lucina replied. "Robin, does that agree with you?"

"As long as it puts nutrients in my body, I'm all for it. I'll go talk to Chrom about settling in for the night, you know, establishing a campsite in the freezing cold. What fun." Robin put on a sprint to catch up to Chrom.

"Yes, Robin? What is it?" Chrom asked.

"I've been wondering... what do you know about this Calagua place? I've never heard of it before."

"Neither have I. I know, it's strange, to never know about an _entire nation_ just to the north of us. Either I'm oblivious, or they're evasive. Maybe both," Chrom added, jokingly.

"I guess we'll find out when we get there..."

"I guess we will."

The campfire sparked and crackled, its warmth providing much-needed heat for the weary travelers. They huddled around its blaze like moths around a candle, only walking away temporarily to perform some small task. Lon'qu dug a flat stone out of his pack, and started sharpening his Killing Edge. Olivia sat down next to him and put an arm around his shoulder.

"Dinner!" Came Lucina's voice, like a lighthouse in a foggy night. Instantly, the mood lifted, everyone cheering as Lucina passed out cooked steaks and potatoes to everyone.

"Thanks, Lucina! This tastes... not awful!" Henry managed to say through a mouthful of potatoes.

"Hey! You try cooking a stir-fry and fried chicken in the middle of a mountain! Not so easy, is it?" Lucina shot back, humorously.

"You win, you win," He conceded, returning to his food. The mood of the group got happier as the warm food entered their bodies, providing needed nutrients. Robin pulled a tome out of his backpack and started reading it. 'Book of Naga', it read. Nowi sat down next to him and gave him a big hug.

"You don't have to sit there by yourself," She said.

"Thanks, Nowi," Robin said, returning her hug. By now, the group had dispersed, off to do various tasks or sleep. Nowi and Robin got up and walked to the outside of their own tent, looking at the stars.

"Do you see it?" Nowi asked, pointing to something in the far-off distance.

"No, I can't. What is it?" Robin replied.

"I can't make it out. It'll have to wait until the morning." She strained her eyes to try to see whatever it was, but couldn't, and sat back, saddened.

"Don't strain yourself, dear," Robin said, and wrapped his arms around Nowi. She did the same.

"Hey! Lovebirds!" Came Maribelle's yell. "Quit staring at the sky like it's gonna write your names in stars! The fire is almost out!"

"Rgh..." Was Robin's reply. Without moving the rest of his body, electric bands of energy formed around his body. He reached his arm skyward, and an Arcfire shot from his palm to the fire, igniting the dying logs in a great blaze. Maribelle was satisfied. Robin watched the stars, and eventually found himself lying on the ground, hands behind his head. Nowi was softly snoring, using his chest as a pillow. He laughed softly for a bit, and brushed some of her hair off of her face, a loving gesture, before settling his head down and drifting off out of consciousness.

Robin's eyes flashed open. How had he fallen asleep on the back of the Fell Dragon, Grima?! The fate of the world was at stake, this was no time for a power nap! Quick as Thoron, he whipped two tomes from his robes and issued commands to his friends, cutting through Risen enemies like knives through hot butter. Robin came face-to-face with himself, the embodiment of Grima. He cast a Bolganone, but the mighty creature just shrugged it off and shot purple spikes out of the ground towards him. Robin braced himelf for the impact. Spikes connected with his body, and the pain shattered bones. He wasn't strong enough. As he faded from consciousness, he was dimly aware of Chrom calling his name.

"Robin... Robin, get up."

"Robin! Get up! You have to!"

"I can handle this. Chrom, you needn't exert yourself," came a voice Robin couldn't place.

"ROBIN! WAKE THE HECK UP!" Came Maribelle's earsplitting screech as she power-slapped Robin back into reality. The force of the hit left a big red mark on his face, and sent him reeling in the opposite direction, gripping his face.

"What... the hell... was that for?!" Robin growled, gripping his face. "That hurt like anything! That was _not_ necesary!"

"Whether it was or wasn't, you're awake now," She pointed out smugly, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Yes, I... noticed."

"Robin, look!" Nowi poked his shoulder. "Look! Do you see it? Look! Look!" Nowi was excitedly pointing at something in the distance.

"Yes, Robin, get your wits about you and take a look," Chrom added.

"With all due respect, Chrom, after sleeping for a time frame shorter than Meta Knight's range, I can't even see ten meters in front of my face."

"Look, dummy!" Nowi said, her voice high-pitched with excitement. "That's it! That's Filem, Calagua's capital!"

The friendly banter of the tavern where Chrom and company had been sitting for the past few hours filled Robin's ears as he casually sipped his glass of ice-water. The people in Filem seemed to know who they were, and offered them free food and lodging. They seemed hospitable, at the very least.

"Gah!" Chrom exclaimed as a chunk of wood broke from the ceiling and hit him on the top of the head, shattering into many small fragments. The tavern owner rushed over to him.

"Are you all right?" He asked nervously.

"Yes, I'll be fine. I've suffered much worse than a small plank of wood to the head," Chrom reassured him. He shook his head, as if to dismiss the small crowd that had formed around him.

"Well, I'm heading back to our lodge place. I don't know about the rest of you, but that walk made me tired as anything," Lucina said. With that, she turned and walked out of the tavern. The rest of the group got up one by one and followed her out. Stepping out into the cool night air, Robin looked up at the stars. He slowed his pace to match Chrom's.

"Chrom," He began. "Are you all right after that plank of wood fell and hit you?"

"Robin, I assure you, I'm fine. It was barely a scratch."

"If you say so..." was Robin's reply. As the group approached their wood cabin, Lucina stopped at the door in front of the group and pulled out a key, which she inserted into a lock to open the door. After she walked in, she turned to the table and lit a candle. As the rest of the group filed in, an uneasy silence filled the room. Morgan was the first to break it.

"I forgot it was..."

"So small..." Chrom finished. Sure enough, there were only two beds and three couches. The group would have to get creative if there would be enough sleeping space for everyone. Nowi, who had already flopped down onto one of the beds, motioned for Robin to lie down next to her. Robin sat down on the bed next to her.

"Well, obviously, Robin and Nowi will get one of the beds. Who should have the other?"

"Me!" Lissa shouted, jumping twice. She turned to Henry. "Come on, we should have a bed, right?" She asked him.

"Eh, sure, if everyone else is all ri-" He cut off as Lissa jumped onto one of the beds, rolling around in the sheets, getting them all jumbled up around her. "-ght with it..."

"Well, that's settled. Everyone else, figure out how you plan to sleep." With that, the group broke into discussion over who would sleep where. Eventually, after an hour or so of said discussion, Chrom blew out the last candle and darkness filled the room. However, it wasn't long before the now-familiar bickering filled the cramped room.

"Henry, give me some of the blanket!"

"Gods, Lissa, I'm the one freezing!"

"Oh yeah..."

"Frederick, get OFF of me!"

"Lucina, your sword is poking me in the leg."

"At least we all know Robin wasn't compensating for anything when he picked the room!"

"Nowi would know more about that than the rest of us..."  
"HEY!"

"Geez, sorry!"

"Excuse me, I have to go to the ba-"

"OUCH! You stepped on me!"

"Sorry!"

"ENOUGH!" Chrom shouted. "Quit your childish bickering and SLEEP!" With that, the room's bickering was replaced by the snores of the weary Ylisseans.

"YOWCH!" The sound of a loud crash violently interrupted Robin's sleep. Morgan got up and rubbed her eyes, then looked over to see Nowi wrapped up in the drapes like a human burrito.

"'S it moahnin alreddeh?" Robin asked, obviously still half asleep.

"Wake up, father... mother has gotten herself... wrapped up in some drapes..." Morgan sounded as exasperated as she did humored.

"All right, I'm up," Robin said as he shuffled out of bed, walking over to Nowi, still struggling inside the drapes.

"Hold still," Lucina said, walking over. She started to use her sword to slit a hole in the drapes, but Nowi interrupted her.

"Gah! Lucina, quit it! I'm not wearing anything!" She squealed. Lucina jumped back as if she had turned into a giant Nowi spider.

"You're meaning to tell me you tried to lean out a window while you were COMPLETELY NAKED?!" Robin raised his voice. "You DO have a brain, right?"

"Sorry! It seemed like a good idea at the time!" She said in reply. "It was early enough I figured no one would see me!"

"And if a member of our group had gotten up, they would've seen you and thought, 'Wow! Not bad, Robin!'"

"Can you just get me out of here?" She pleaded.

"Fine... the rest of you, out, Lucina, stay, get her out of it."

"I don't want to see her naked! Get her out yourself, Robin!"

"All right..." Robin grumbled as Chrom herded the rest of the group out the door. Robin worked the drapes off of her, and eventually Nowi climbed out. "Now, for the love of the gods, put some clothes on!"

"Okay!" Nowi replied, irrittated, as she slipped on her Manakete garments. She opened the door and poked her head out. "You can come back in now! I've got clothes on!"

"Finally. It's freezing out here, and I'm still in my pajamas!" Came Ricken's response.

"This isn't an invitation to go back to sleep, everyone. Get ready, we have a big day ahead of us," Chrom said. Groans met his words, but quickly as ever, the group got ready for the day. Afterwards, Lucina locked the door when they were all outside. "I'm going to read that message now. It said to only read it once we got to Calagua, and here we are." Chrom pulled out the message-in-a-bottle he had been saving. "It reads..." Chrom said as he began to read the message aloud.

Dear Sheperd,

I write to you to ask for your help. This new government of ours is making us all terrified for our lives and our children's lives. We have been treated like slaves, worked like animals, and had our property stolen. We are in dire need of your help, if you would help us. The Calaguan Guard is too strong for you to take on alone, so there are four sages you must visit in order to learn the virtues of Leadership, Courage, Wisdom, and Friendship. They will teach you what you need to know in order to defeat Zera, empress of Calagua. They are located at the following places:

-Zulu, port city to the northeast

-Sierra, mountain village to the far north

-Echo, resort town to the southwest

-Alpha, mining town to the far west

Good luck, hero. We are counting on you.

"Letter ends," Chrom finished. "Thoughts?"

"Kill him!" Frederick roared.

"Train first, then kill him," Morgan corrected.

"I say we visit these sages," Lucina offered.

"Breakfast?" Nowi asked. Agreement met her words, and the group walked off to the tavern to eat.

End Of Chapter One


	2. On The Road Again

Olivia hurried out of the tavern after Chrom and company, holding up her dress with both hands as she ran. The group was already walking out of the tavern on their way to the port cirty, Zulu.

"Wait for meeeeee!" She cried out as she ran after the group. When she had caught up, she slowed her pace, panting.

"Nowi. Map," Chrom commanded. Nowi ran over to Chrom and dug around in his pack until she came across the map, pulling it out. She opened it in her hands, and the group clustered around her as she pointed at it.

"We're... here, I believe," She said. 'Zulu is here, and the road is here..." she continued. Robin looked up at the road ahead of them, and groaned when he saw it extend endlessly into the horizon. Reluctantly, he gave the word for the group to continue, and in silence, the Ylisseans resumed their trek southward. After many exhausting hours of travel, the group came upon what seemed to be a village, yet something was... off. A shreik, perhaps a woman's, came from the village.

"Prepare for battle," Robin said in a low, commanding voice as he drew a Rexcalibur tome from his robe. Chrom raised his sword in signal, and the group ran down the path into the village. Once they entered, they regrouped and looked at Chrom for further instructions.

"Don't look at me, look at Robin! He's our tactician," Chrom said, pointing at Robin.

"Oh, yes. Right..." Robin started. "Nowi, Morgan, Cordelia, Inigo, and myself will take this road." He pointed to a road to the left of them. "Sully, Frederick, Ricken, Olivia, and Henry, go in the opposite direction." he pointed to another road. "Lastly, Chrom, Lucina, Lissa, Lon'qu, and Maribelle, head into the heart of the village. Everyone good? All right, go!" As he finished, the group split up and ran off in various directions. Robin ran next to Morgan and Inigo, and Cordelia and Nowi ran ahead of them. It wasn't long before the group came across a gory sight. A man was beating a woman unconscious as a young girl, perhaps her daughter, was bound up with ropes crying for help. In unison, Morgan and Nowi held up their Dragonstones and transformed into powerful dragons. The assailant took one look at the huge Manaketes and bolted, leaving the woman bleeding on the ground and her daughter's eyes huge with awe.

"Are you all right?" Robin asked the daughter, untying her from the ropes. "Is that your mother?'

"Yes, she is my mother," The girl responded. "Please help her, she might die soon if you don't do anything."

"Liss- crap! All the healers went with Chrom! Gods, where's Lissa the one time you actually need her?!" Robin growled, angry. "Cordelia, fetch Lissa. She's needed urgently."

"Right," Cordelia said, racing off on her pegasus.

"Here, you may need these," Morgan said, taking a small dress out of her backpack and handing it to the girl. She gratefully took the dress and slipped it on, hugging Morgan as a sign of gratitude.

"Thanks!" She girl said. "I'll find my staff and get my mother healed. I' a healer myself. Not particularly good, but I can still make people better."

"That's amazing! Here, you can take my spare. I keep one around for times like this," Morgan said as she took a spare staff out of her pack and handed it to the girl. She held it up and a beam of light surrounded her mother and the woman stood up, coughing.

"Are you all right?" She said, rushing over to her daughter and hugging her feircely. "Who are these people?"

"They saved us from that terrible man- and gave me a really cute dress to boot!" She said excitedly.

"In that case, I owe you my thanks. Not now, however, the others must be helped." As if on cue, Chrom and Henry rounded the corner, followed by the rest of the group and people that looked like village elders.

"Robin! The rest of the village are safe. That must have been the last of them, the very sight of us sent them packing!" He laughed, and Henry shook his head in agreement. The village elders walked out from behind them, and the most senior-looking one shook Robin's hand.

"Thank you for saving us, cliche as that may sound," He said. "Tonight, you can stay here and have dinner with us. We fix the best potatoes in all of Calagua!"

"Potatoes? Did somebody mention potatoes?" Nowi asked, suddenly alert.

"Yes, potatoes. Why?" The elder responded.

"I LOVE potatoes!" Nowi screeched, jumping up and down! "They're like my favorite food!"

"Okay, I'll make sure to make extra.

Nowi scarfed down spoonful after spoonful of potatoes, greedily eating everything she had, before reaching for more.

"Nowi," Robin said, "Make sure to come up for air. And to leave the rest of us some potatoes!" He laughed.

"Mhkay," Nowi said through a mouthful of potatoes. "I'll mtry." Chrom and the village elders discussed events that happened prior to the group's arrival in the village. Lucina and Morgan offered their own opinions, and soon a discussion opened up around the table. "Hey! We're out of potatoes!" Nowi complained, poking the empty bowl with her fork.

"You ate them all," Robin said, laughing.

"Oh, I guess I did," Nowi said in response. She self-consciously took a piece of meat from a plate and started munching on it.

"Here, I believe this may help you," the vilage elder said, handing Chrom a Talisman. "It's not much, but it's all we have." Chrom gratefully took the Talisman and put it in his pack.

"Many thanks," Chrom replied.

"I've been told of why you're here. I wish you the best of luck, you're going to need it."

The road to Zulu was proving harse. It wasn't just cold, it was also wet, not to mention miserable. It was a huge struggle just to put one foot in front of the other. Lissa started to cry, but couldn't- it was just that cold.

"I have an idea!" Nowi exclaimed. She slowed her pace to walk next to Morgan, and she whispered something in her ear. Morgan's eyes lit up, and she whispered someting back to Nowi. The pair held up their Dragonstones in unison, and within seconds, transformed into a pair of dragons. Instantly, the heat radiating off their bodies lifted the morale of the team considerably, and their wings prevented any more hail from gathering on them.

"Well done, Nowi!" Ricken exclaimed.

"Yeah, great job!" Lucina said, happily.

"I never would have thought of it," Morgan added. The effect on the group was evident. They quickened their pace with the newfound energy from the two Manaketes, and they were a quarter of the way to Zulu before nightfall. Setting up camp was easy, and the entire group was tired. They fell asleep immediately. Well, most of them did. Morgan lifted her head, and her eyes met Cordelia's. She was awake as well.

"Cordelia," she began. "What're you doing awake?"

"I could ask you the same thing," Cordelia responded.

"I've been kept awake thinking about why we're here," Morgan replied. "Something seems... off."

"I've been thinking similarly. After all, we're coming here on the word of a total stranger to do some task that we don't even know what is. Seems kinda weird, don't you think?" Cordelia asked. Morgan looked thoughtful.

"Perhaps we should proceed with more caution. After all, we don't know what this land may hold."

"You're right. I'll discuss it with Chrom tomorrow. Night, Morgan."

"Night, Cordelia."

The next three days carried on endlessly. The road seemed to carry on without end, swallowing up all morale the group had and reducing them to silent beings, carrying on without end. Suddenly, Olivia burst out with happiness.

"Look! Look! A city!" Olivia said excitedly, jumping up and down. As Robin and Lucina strained their eyes, sure enough, was a distant city.

"Well, I'll be!" Robin exclaimed. "Everyone, pick up the pace. We need to reach that town by nightfall." The group quickened their pace, and soon they were at the gates of Zulu, the port city. The senior guard saw who they were, and gave the signal. The guards opened the gates, and the group walked in and walked over to the guards.

"Welcome to Zulu!" The senior guard greeted them. "You've come a long way. Are you in need of food and shelter?" He asked.

"Yes, and much of it," Chrom replied. The guard nodded his head and began leading the travelers down a series of paved roads until they came to a wooden log cabin. The guard unlocked the door, and handed the key to Lucina. They gratefully streamed into the cabin, sitting down on the beds. There were a dozen of them, six lined up on each wall. It was like a giant hotel room. With newfound energy, Nowi leapt happily into one of the beds, flailing around. Lucina sat down on one of them and closed her eyes, a peaceful look on her face.

"Are those jams... and bread?" Henry asked.

"Yes, some of the finest," the guard replied. Henry ran over to the table and began cramming jam onto the breads and stuffing them in his mouth. Morgan slapped Henry on the back as she snatched the jar of blueberry jam from him, smiling. The lodge and the food had put everyone in better spirits.

"There will be food for you in the morning," the guard said.

"Thank you," Chrom answered. "I'm sure we are all quite tired-"

"YES, WE ARE!" Came everyone's response in unison.

"-so we are grateful for the hospitality," Chrom finished.

"Good night," the guard said before closing the door behind him as he walked out. After stuffing themselves full of jams and bread, one by one the members of the group blew out the candles on the stands next to their beds. As darkness swallowed up the room, their snoring filled Lucina's ears. She couldn't sleep. Eventually, giving up on falling asleep, she pulled the drapes to the window open and climbed out of it. A small cloud of dirts can over the bottoms of her boots as she landed, and she shook herself off. The cool night air was all around her as she walked down the roads, wondering what to do now that she was outside. Eventually, she came to a building named "General Store." There was still light coming from inside, so she pushed the door open and walked inside.

"You're up late," the shop owner commented.

"I know, I couldn't sleep," Lucina replied. She picked up a small wicker basket and started browsing around the store. After several minutes of browsing the store, she decided to look and see what all she had put in it. A couple Elixirs, a Hammerne for Lissa, a Silver Sword, a couple Second Seals, and a Goddess Icon. She dropped a Rift Door in the basket before handing the items to the shop owner. He counted the cost of the items up, and Lucina dropped some coins equal to the amount on the table before walking out with the items. After she walked out, she looked up at the moon. It was a silver claw-scratch in the sky, its pale glow illuminating the road just enough for her to see where she was going. She felt the cold breeze blowing on her, making her hair flow out from behind her like a lion's mane.

"What the...?" She murmured aloud. She could almost hear someone's screams, low as if they were muffled by something. Following the muffled screams, she walked in the direction they seemed to be coming from. The screams sounded louder a she approached a corner in the road. Drawing her Parallel Falchoin, she peered around the corner. She saw a girl and a- gods, what was that man doing to her?! Swallowing the urge to vomit, she rushed forward, yelling "And her name is LU-CENA!" as she drove her falchoin into the man's chest. He crumpled over, dead. "Da da-da daaaa!" Lucina said as she withdrew her falchoin from the man with a satisfied look on her face and slid it back into the loop for it on her waist.

"Thank you..." the girl said, shaking herself off after Lucina cut the duct-tape from her mouth. _She does look pretty shaken_ , Lucina thought to herself. She offered the girl her hand, and she took it and pulled herself to her feet. "I'm really sorry you had to see me like this, at my most indecent, but-"

"I understand. Where are your clothes?" Lucina scanned the alley, but couldn't see much in the darkness.

"I don't have any. That man ripped them off, one of his henchmen have them." She looked crestfallen as she replied.

"Here," Lucina said, reaching into a pocket on the front of her clothes. She pulled out a thin shirt and handed it to the girl, who took it gratefully and put it on, partially covering herself. "Where do you live?" Lucina asked.

"Here. This alley is my home," the girl responded. With those words, Lucina looked around the alley and saw what she hadn't seen before- old blankets, burnt logs, a couple empty Vulneraries, and a rusted bronze sword, lying on the wet dirt.

"Not anymore," Lucina said. "You're coming with me and my friends, where you'll be safe." She started leading the girl out of the alley. "By the way, I never caught your name. Mine's Lucina."

"My name...? Oh, right. My name's Nah."

"NAH?! my daughter?!" Nowi screeched, running forward and embracing Nah as she looked around, slightly embarassed. Robin walked forward after Nowi stepped back, giving Nah a short but firm, loving hug.

"Mother, father, I've missed you. It has been forever," Nah said. Nah felt a tapping on her shoulder and turned around to see Morgan.

"Nah. My sister. I've missed you since we were little kids, separated so violently..." Morgan hugged her sister fiercely, and Nah for the first time did so as well. Before she could continue, there was a knocking at the door. Lucina stood up and walked over, opening the door. It was one of the guards.

"Yes?" Lucina asked.

"Miss Lucina," the guard began, "You have visitors.

End Of Chapter Two


	3. Unexpected Guests

The guard stepped back to reveal four people. One after the other, they walked into the cabin. The first, who appeared to be their leader, was wearing a striped shirt, holding a reinforced wooden bat. The second, a girl, was wearing a short, pink dress and was holding a powerful-looking steel frying pan. The third was a boy wearing glasses and a green uniform, several miniature rockets and other contraptions sticking out of the backpack he was wearing. The fourth was a boy with a rather unique hairstyle wearing what looked like a karate outfit. He closed the door behind him as he stood behind the first boy.

"And who might you be?" Chrom asked, addressing the boy who seemed to be their leader.

"I'm Ness," he said. "These are Paula, Jeff, and Poo," he said, addressing each of the three behind him. "We heard of your quest, and are here to assist you.

"But you're just kids! You can't be older than fifteen or so!" Chrom exclaimed, looking them over.

"Ahem?" Ricken asked, poking Chrom in the shoulder. Ness looked at Paula.

"Just kids..." he grumbled. He turned back to Chrom and motioned for him to follow them outside. As the four walked out the door, Chrom, Robin, Nowi, Morgan, and Lucina followed. Lucina closed the door and hurried after the others. After a several-minute walk, they were in a large, open field. Ness, Paula, and Poo appeared to be concentrating on something. Jeff just stood there with a somewhat vacant look in his eyes. Robin walked up to him.

"Pssst, Jeff. What are they doing?" He asked.

"Using their PSI powers. I don't have any. Give them a minute," Jeff replied. As if on cue, Ness put his arms out, one in front and one at a 45-degree angle behind his head. A psychic vortex appeared in front of him. Paula let out a yell.

"PSI Thunder!" Huge bolts of lightning converged over Ness, dropping straight onto him.

"He'll be killed!" Chrom said.

"No- just watch." As the thunderbolts dropped into the vortex, they were absorbed into it, vanishing. The vortex had competely shrugged off the attack. Now it was Poo's turn. With a cry of "PSI Starstorm!", giant stars began to fall from the sky and crash into the ground, leaving huge craters several times Robin's height in diameter. Ness released his arms, and the psychic barrier dissipated. The three turned back to Chrom and company and looked at them.

"Just kids?" Ness asked again.

"Hell..." Robin said. "How did you do that... needless to say, welcome to the Sheperds."

"And then he was like 'You're just kids!' and we all laughed our heads off inside!" Ness said to Cordelia and Morgan, and all three laughed. The newcomers were getting acquainted with the Ylisseans, and it seemed they were quite at home with the group. Paula and Maribelle talked about the latest clothes, Jeff and Robin talked tactics and nerdy stuff, and Poo and Lucina discussed fighting styles. The cabin was abuzz with activity and noise until Chrom stood up. The room got silent.

"Right," he started. "Tomorrow we set off to see these sages. Everyone needs to get a good night's rest. Ness, you seem to be knowledgeable with this place. Do you know where we might find them? As in, where in the towns?"

"You needn't go far," Ness replied. "We're right here."

"Are you implying that you're..."

"Yep. We're the sages. Five years ago, when Calagua was established after the defeat of the Fell Dragon, and seven or so years after our own defeat of Giygas, we were sent here to aid you in the last part of your quest: getting back the Notebook of Fate and the Eternity Quill. Each of us represents a different virtue. I'm the Sage of Friendship, Paula is the Sage of Leadership, Jeff is the Sage of Wisdom, and Poo is the Sage of Courage. We're right here."

"Well, that saves us a bit of time!" Chrom said, happily. "We still oughta get to sleep. It's getting late."

"Agreed," Ness said. With that, the newcomers climbed into the empty beds and their lights out. After a while, the rest of the group did as well. Something was bugging Lucina, but she couldn't place it. She shrugged off the urge and climbed out of bed, ignoring it. She climbed out the window, as quietly as she could manage, and started walking in the direction of the store. It wasn't two minutes before she rammed into Poo, who seemed to be doing the same thing. She fell over into the ground, and so did he.

"Ouch!" Lucina said, rubbind her eyes. "What are you doing up so late?" She asked.

"I could ask you the same thing," Poo responded.

"I couldn't sleep. Where are you headed to?" She asked. Poo looked thoughtful for a second, then shook his head.

"I'm not sure. Do you want to go to the Cape at the Edge?" Poo asked. "It's a rocky cliff overlooking the now-frozen ocean. A beautiful sight at night," he added.

"All right, that works," Lucina agreed. Poo began the walk to Cape at the Edge, and Lucina followed, as to not get lost. After they emerged out of the city, snowflakes began to fall as they walked the long, tiring path. Each snowflake made her just a bit colder, and she had to shrug them off many times as she walked.

"Lucina! Stop!" Poo shouted. Lucina abruptly stopped walking, and took a step or two back. She looked down. She saw a frozen expanse of water, with jagged, pointed rocks several feet in diameter jutting out of the ocean. It was at least a three-hundred-foot drop, and if she didn't slice herself open on one of the rocks, the impact from the solid ice would have killed her immediately. She sat down with her back to a large rock and looked at the ocean as the snow fell. Poo sat down a few feet from her and began to do something like meditating. After several minutes, Lucina felt incredibly cold. She stood up and brushed herself off before turning and heading back towards town. However, seeing the falling snow, she got an idea. She started scooping up snow with her hands. _I'll make a snowball! I've seen Nowi do it a few times, surely it can't be that hard?_ She packed the snow until it was a rough but compact sphere. _What to do with it?_ She thought for a while on that thought. Then it came to her. _I'll throw it at someone!_ Yes, that's what she'd do. She started back to the log cabin, and finally came to it. She peered through the window. As she was glancing at each of the beds, her gaze settled on Chrom. She readied her arm, and _three... two..._ she felt a tapping on her arm. She turned around to see Poo looking at her.

"Lucina," Poo said, looking at her as sternly as he could, knowing the age difference between them.

"Sorry... heh..." Lucina tried to apologize.

"What are you apologizing for? Go to that window over there, you'll have a better chance of hitting him," Poo explained, then pointed to a window. Surprised, Lucina walked over to the window, and sure enough, the angle was better. She drew her arm back, and _three... two... one!_ She let the snowball fly. It was a direct hit- smacked Chrom right in the face. Unaware of what had happened, he started flailing around.

"Agh! Brigands, begone! I am Chrom, leader of the- gah!" Lucina exploded in laughter as Chrom fell off the bed and hit the floor. He stood up and wiped the snow off of his face. "Who did this?" he asked to no one in particular, his gaze scanning the room. "Ah-ha."

"Oh gods, no..."

"LUCINAAAAA!"

Robin glared at her. Well, everyone did.

"Lucina, what were you thinking?" Robin asked, shoving more eggs into his mouth.

"Sorry. For the hundredth time, it seemed like a good idea at the time," she responded, irritated.

"Whatever. I won't dwell on it." Chrom stood up, addressing the group.

"Today, we will be learning stuff from Ness. Myself, Robin, Lucina, and Morgan will go with him. Tomorrow, Paula will be teaching. Lissa, Maribelle, Olivia, and Nowi, you'll go with her. The day after, Jeff will be teaching Ricken, Inigo, Cordelia, and Henry. The day after that, Poo will be teaching Sully, Frederick, Nah, and Lon-qu. Is that everyone? Good." He dismissed the group, and he, Robin, Morgan, and Lucina went out the door with Ness.

"Ness?" Morgan asked.

"Yeah, what?" he replied.

"Where are we going? I mean, obviously you aren't going to be teaching us anything in there, otherwise we wouldn't be outside."

"I'm taking you to one of the most sacred sites in Calagua, one of the few places to be untouched by evil, where you can be closest to the gods."

"Which would be where?" she asked.

"The Cape at the Edge."


	4. Cape at the Edge

he sun shined brightly on Robin as he took a sheet of parchment from Ness's hand. There were ink and quills on the ground next to him.

"Based on your answers, I'll work with each of you differently. Work alone, you have until sunhigh. Begin. Robin looked at the questions. They weren't what he was expecting, questions that tested his knowledge, but they made sense. They were questions testing his morals in different situations. This would be a piece of cake.

"Question one... who is the most important person in our group?" He murmured aloud. "Remember, it can be anyone." Robin scribbled 'Anyone, we are all equally important.'

"Question two... would you push the group further, or let them rest as necessary?" Robin tapped his quill against the inside of the ink container, then wrote 'Push them further.' After another couple questions, Robin let his mind drift to another event that happened that morning.

The snow crunched under Robin's boots as he walked to the general store, shopping list in hand. He was about to push the door open when he heard something that sounded like... crying. He paused midstep and listened, straining his ears to see if he could pinpoint where the sound was coming from. He slowly, cautiously walked forward, following the noise. Eventually, he came across an alley. There was a girl, head in her hands, crying. She was dirty, wearing falling-apart rags, and the dirt around her was stained with tears that had since sunk into the earth.

"Hello, miss? What's-"

"Stay back!" the girl growled, pulling her hands from her face to reveal the face of a young girl, eyes red from crying but with the unmistakable look of fear in her eyes. She stretched one arm out, and in the other, was a battered, old Wind tome, as if to attack Robin.

"I don't think that's a good idea," he said, chuckling. "Put your tome down, I'd be willing to bet that you don't know how to use it." With that, he casually opened his robe, revealing several powerful tomes. "Don't get the wrong idea. I'm not going to hurt you." He sat down a few feet from her. "Tell me what's wrong, I won't judge."

"Why should I trust you? I don't even know you," she said suspiciously.

"You don't have to, and you could sit here, sniveling and crying to yourself, or you could tell me what's with you, and I can help you sort out a problem. Your choice," Robin added.

"All right, all right..." she began. "It started twelve years ago, in the farthest reaches of my memory. My parents divorced then. Both remarried, and I felt increasingly like an object, a piece of property for which they used for bartering with the other. I was relatively happy until my fifth-grade year, when my father had another child. I wasn't truly happy after that, and things escalated into violence, and at the same time, my mother slipped farther and farther into depression." With that, the girl burst into tears, her face in her hands again.

"Here, go on," Robin soothed. The girl continued.

"I felt trapped, a target for my step-mother's rage, who my father was powerless to stop, and my mother's sadness, for whom I had no answer. They had such high expectations for me, and it drove me crazy. 'No, no,' they told me. 'We don't approve of you writing. You can't do that, becuase we don't like it. It's wrong. Do something valuable with your time,' they said to me. Now, two years later, they're forcing me to choose between the two. Each says the choice is obvious, but to me- it isn't. I couldn't choose between them, so I ran away. I spent my time writing stories of my idols, Chrom and the Sheperds. You know, from Ylisse? Especially Robin- he was my favorite, how he could use magic, swords, and even married Nowi, the most beautiful woman in the Sheperds... I wrote fanfictions about them! Then, my mother separated me from my boyfriend, the one person who I truly felt loved me, and my step-mother forbid me from writing my stories. I couldn't take it anymore..."

"I'm quite flattered!" Robin said, delighted.

"Excuse me?" she asked.

"I'm Robin," he laughed.

"Are you serious? That explains the resemblance... it's always been my dream to meet you! You should let me come with you! That's what happens in my story! You were heading to the store, and you heard me crying, and I told you what happened, and you let me come with you!"

"Wait, wait, wait... what? I did what now?" Robin asked, suddenly suspicious.

"You were about to go to the store, and you stopped and heard me. Do I really have to repeat myself again?" she asked.

"Let me see this notebook of yours," Robin said, holding his hand out. The girl placed the notebook in his hands. Robin opened the cover of the notebook and read the first page, after opening the magnetic seal. _Of course,_ he thought. _The title makes everything make sense._

 _The Notebook of Fate._

 _Chrom closed the green-patterned notebook, and with a magnetic 'click', it snapped shut._

 _"_ _Anja," he said, addressing the girl. "In this notebook of yours... without even knowing where we are or what we're doing... everything you've written has happened to us. How is that possible?"_

 _"_ _She's writing the future," Lucina said. "I'll explain. The Notebook of Fate, and it's counterpart, the Eternity Quill, are able to write the future and rewrite the past, respectively. In my time, they were sought after to end the life of Grima by many. I, however, sought the Eternity Quill instead, for its ability to rewrite time. The Notebook and the Quill were lost to us for milennia, until they resurfaced in a house in the south of Calagua. The Grimleal and others sought out the notebook, happy to kill the holder of it. Anja, you are that person. The Notebook can only be written in by someone pure of heart, however, and perhaps that is why nothing has happened to it until Anja came along. Now that she has it, it's only a matter of time until people come for her. In order to protect the future, preserve the past, and keep our world in existence, we need to protect Anja and find the Quill- even at the cost of our lives." Lucina paused, and let her words sink in._

 _"_ _So... what happens to me now?" Anja asked, nervously. Morgan put a hand on her shoulder._

 _"_ _We aren't going to let you get hurt, I know that for sure. I didn't listen to whatever came out of Lucina's mouth-"_

 _"_ _Hey!"_

 _"_ _But I, for one, will give my life to protect the future."_

 _"_ _No one's gonna hurt you!" Nowi said, throwing her arms around Anja._

 _"_ _Here," Ness said, raising his voice. "You guys only have me to thank for this. Had I not been sent here, five years ago, at the exact moment Anja found the Notebook, she would be dead. I've spent the past five years keeping her alive long enough for you to get here. That message-in-a-bottle- that was me. I've had to kill every person who sought to kill Anja. I, however, need to do something. Anja, come with me. We're going to the Cape at the Edge." Ness got up and started walking out of the room. Anja hurried after him. The rest of the group sat around in silence for a while, until Lucina broke it._

 _"_ _Well, all this waiting is making me hungry. I'm going to get something to eat. See the rest of you later." With that, Lucina got up and walked out the door. She worked her way around various roads until she came to a restaurant. It smelled delicious from the outside. She pushed the door open, and raised her hand._

 _"_ _Table, please?" she asked._

 _"_ _Here," some man said, raising his hands from where he was at a table several feet away. Lucina walked over to him and sat down in a chair he had pulled out. He handed Lucina a menu, and she began to read it. She looked up, and looked around the restaurant. There was a piano, with a brown-spotted cat sleeping on it. What to choose... there's so many choices! There has to be at least 15... maybe I'll have this._ Lucina raised her hand, and the man walked over to her. She ordered a plate of eggs and sausage, and sat, patiently waiting. A half hour later or so, her food arrived. It was hot and fresh, it looked delightful. She drank some of the complimentary orange juice first, then tried some of the eggs. It was some of the best food she had had in a long, long time. _10/10 would eat again,_ she thought. When she had finished, she dropped her fork on the plate and walked out. She pushed the door open to the lodge. It was sunny outside, and the comfortable heat was making everyone drowsy. Nowi was sleeping, splayed out across the bed, and Robin was cramped in one corner, snoring. Maribelle was sleeping as daintily as when she was awake. Almost everyone was asleep, and soon the temptation to lie down in her bed was too much. She laid down on top of her bed, and she couldn't have been asleep for longer than a half hour before she heard Ness's voice. He and Anja must have returned.

"Anja has a story to tell you all," he said.

Nowi's jaw dropped as Anja finished her story. The rest of the group looked equally astounded.

"Every detail was spot-on!" Nowi said, her voice high-pitched with excitement.

"How did she...?"

"It's magic!"

"It isn't magic, you idiot!"

"Then what do you suppose it was?"

"I don't know! You explain it!"

"I can't! The girl's a prodigy of some sort!"

"She isn't doing it, the Notebook is!"  
"Oh, yeah..." Chrom waited for all the clamor to die down before speaking.

"Tomorrow, Paula will train the second group. Until tomorrow, everyone, we need to get rest. Off to sleep, everyone." Maribelle blew out her candle, and one by one the rest of the group did the same. Anja couldn't sleep, something was nagging her. She felt the urge to go out into the night. Following her urge, she swung one leg over the window and then the other, elegantly landing on the dirt near the window. She heard some nearby banging noises, perhaps on wood. She wasn't armed, but wanted to find out what it was, so she cautiously walked around the corner. One building down, she saw four men, in government uniforms, trying to beat the door to someone's house down. She recognized the house- it was of her friend Lyla, the village dancer, said to be the most beautiful woman in all of Calagua. _Either she's forgot to pay her bills, or I'm looking at a crew of hardcore perverts._ Suddenly terrified they might see her, she turned back around the corner. What were they going to do to her? _Either way, she's going to be hurt._

 _Not if I can help it._ Anja pulled out her notebook and began writing in it. It wasn't three minutes later when Robin ungracefully tumbled out of the window next to her, with a painful "Agh!" as he hit the ground.

"Anja?" he asked, looking at her. 'Did you wake me up?"

"Yes. Lyla, the village dancer, is in trouble. Some government officials are trying to hurt her!"

"Hang on, I'm not going to get involved in domestic affairs."

"But she's my friend!"

"All right, all right, I'll go have a look," Robin reluctantly agreed, already up and following Anja. The men weren't where they were before, they had already kicked down the door, and were inside. Robin peered around the corner, and saw one man destroying ceramics, another ransacking valuables, and two more... Robin wanted to throw up. "Get away from her!" He growled, in a low voice.

"What do you want, pipsqueak?" one of the men grunted at Robin. You're not getting any of this pie, runt." He pulled on Lyla's hair, causing the girl to shriek in pain. The other man threw her on the floor painfully.

"Try not to vomit, Robin. I've already done it," Anja said. He had forgotten she was there.

"I said GET AWAY FROM HER!" He roared, as a carefully-aimed Bolganone exploded a short distance from the mean, ripping their bodies into pieces and sending blood spraying evrywhere. The other two men dropped whatever they were holding and ran, terrified of Robin. Satisfied they wouldn't cause any more trouble, Robin hurried to Lyla. She was bound at the hands and feet, unconsious. Her clothes had been torn off of her, they were lying in now-bloodstained strips around her. _I can see why they wanted in here so badly!_ He thought. "Anja. Wake Lissa and have her bring clothes and her staff." Robin worked to get the ropes binding her off, and threw them in a distant corner. After a few minutes, Lissa emerged in the doorway, raising her staff. A beam of light surrounded Lyla, and she emerged rubbing her eyes before realizing what had happened.

"Who are you... agh! Oh gods, I'm not wearing anything!" She quickly moved to cover herself up, wincing, and Lissa tossed her a small shirt and a matching skirt for her to put on. Trying to be as modest as possible, Lyla slipped the clothes on. "Those men... did you drive them..." Lyla looked around her now-bloody room. "I take it you killed them, yes?" Then she saw Anja, near the doorway. She took off running and embraced Anja. "Anja, my dearest! Are you all right?"

"Yes, I am. We can explain in the morning. Come back to our lodge. You'll be safe there." As they were exiting the house, Lyla walked to Robin.

"I'm really sorry I awoke you at this hour. The men in my town- they have no respect for women, or even young girls. We're sexual slaves, valued and priced by our bodies. You've been told I'm a dancer, no? I'm... not exactly a regular dancer, if you're getting my drift. My "shows" are highly coveted performances, and even though I despise doing them, they force me, against my will. to "perform" for them. Afterwards, they take me home and do horrible things to me. Men who treat women without respect are barbarians." Robin could understand, his own wife, Nowi, had been forced into doing similar things.

"It's all right. We'll take you with us. You'll never have to do one of those horrible performances ever again." The four climbed into the lodge through a window, one after the other.

"Wow... so many people!" She said.

"It's all right," Anja said. You can sleep peacefully. You're among friends now."

End Of Chapter Four


	5. The Hero-King

Nowi opened her eyes as the first white rays of dawn infiltrated the windows and filled the room with bright light.

"Is it morning already?" she asked, rubbing her eyes as she sat up.

"Apparently so," Frederick replied. Robin stretched as he slid out of bed, throwing Nowi off as his weight left the other side of the bed. Lyla was still asleep. _Perhaps it's better that way,_ he thought. Chrom called a group meeting to discuss the last night's events. Paula went from Maribelle's bed to Lissa's, gently nudging them awake.

"Anja," Chrom asked. "What happened last night?" Anja looked hesitant, then responded.

"This girl, Lyla, was in trouble, so I woke Robin and Lissa up to help her. We brought her here, where she'll be safe."

"Well, that's settled. She'll stay here. Meeting adjourned, I guess." The group split off to do various things. Maribelle, Nowi, and Lissa went off with Paula. Chrom and Ness left together to go to the armory. Morgan and Nah left for the clothes store, and Henry took off for the restaurant.

"I'm a little bored," Lucina said, tapping her Parallel Falchoin on the floor in an odd rythym.

"Same. What's there to do?" Robin asked. "I'm waiting for the next couple days to pass so we can be on our merry way, to get the Eternity Quill." He tapped his foot on the ground.

"We could take a walk around town," Lucina suggested. "You know, to get to know the place a bit better."

"Okay, that works," Robin agreed. He and Lucina walked out the door and onto the dirt roads that connected Zulu. There was the guard's quarters directly across from them, Lyla's house a bit to the left, and the general store farther left. To the right, as they walked, they came across a tavern, the restaurant, a bakery, a book store, a barbershop, a blacksmith, and a few more shops. Lucina stopped at the bakery and walked inside, leaving Robin to himself. He continued walking until he stopped in front of a library. Robin pushed the door open, setting off a dissonant chiming. He walked to the back, looking over the books as he went. There were stories, reference books, books on magic, lots of books. Something strange popped into his head, and he felt an urge to head to the very back. There was something hidden in there. _I'll check back later tonight,_ he tought. _Much later._

 _The rest of the group was sleeping soundly. Not Robin. As quietly as he could muster, without bothering Nowi, he slipped out of bed, grabbing an Arcfire tome from the nightstand. He swung himself over the windowsill, grunting as he hit the ground. He kept low to the ground as he quickly moved forward, moonlight illuminating his path. At last, he came to the library. As to not set off the chime, he cast a Fire spell that quickly melted the door. He slipped in, and quickly ran to the back, as far back as he could. At last, he came upon a solid steel door. He pulled the Arcfire tome from his robe, and cast it on the door. The metal grew hot, red, and eventually started melting away. He held the spell for several minutes, until the door was fully burned away. Taking special care to avoid the boiling steel on the floor, he hopped through the hole, and came upon another room. There was a fine layer of dust covering the room, as if someone hadn't been in there in several months. There were some shelves, but what caught Robin's eye was a desk in the middle of the room. There was a single, thick book on the desk. Robin moved over to it, and cracked it open. He positioned himself under a small shaft of moonlight coming in through a window and began to read to himself. The title read "Rewriting History." It read about a chosen individual, one who must be obtained for total control over the past and the future. We will have complete control over existence, but we must obtain the girl. She won't willingly give herself to us, thus we must extract her soul from her body and place it in a living vessel who will do what we command. The girl must die, so we can obtain everything- control of the past, control of the present, and control of the future. Robin closed the book, his heart racing. Puzzle pieces were working themselves together in his brain, and as they fell into place, one word made him realize everything._

 _Anja._

The first rays of dawn were encroaching as Robin ran back to the cabin, panting.

"Chrom!" he shouted as he threw the door open. "Ness! Lucina! Anja! Everyone, wake up!" Panting, he sat down on his bed, jolting Nowi awake.

"Robin... what is it?" Ness asked. He was the only one fully awake. Lucina was stirring as well, and she went from bed to bed getting people up. Robin quickly explained to Ness what had happened before, and Ness seemed to understand. He slowly nodded his head before replying. "We need to get out of here. They'll be looking for us any hour now. We need to get somewhere safer."

"Do you have any ideas?" Robin asked.

"Well..." Ness looked thoughtful. "I need a bit of time to think."  
"What are we to do?" Morgan asked, sounding scared. "We can't just let them take Anja to her death. We'd fail in our duty as Sheperds." As she finished speaking, a massive explosion came from outside, followed by people screaming. Paula looked out a window, and saw bloodied people running from a crater with many dead bodies littered around it.

"The library..." she murmured. "Ness, we can't stay here. Anja will be taken within a couple days."

"Ness." It was Poo who spoke. "I know exactly what we can do."

"What do you propose?" Robin and Ness replied simultaneously.

"Firstly... Anja needs to be taken away from here. Far away from here. Sadly, our PSI Teleport skills only allow us to teleport to places we've been, and we've only been to Calagua. We'd be captured any minute after that."

"So what's your plan, then? We can only teleport to Calagua..."

"No, we don't."

"Where are you suggesting we take her, then?"

"I believe you know where, Ness."

"You can't mean..."

"Yes. Exactly."

"So this is Onett!" Nowi said. "Quite a nice place. Hard to believe it was overrun with evil gangs and whatnot just a few years ago."

"Yep, it's my hometown," Ness said.

"So what are we going to do here?" Nowi asked Ness. "We can't stay here forever."

"Only temporarily. Anja and... Jeff will stay here in Onett for a while until the others, including myself, Paula, and Poo will bring an end to the chaos in Calagua."

"Seems legit!" Nowi responded.

"Ness, when are we going to go back?" Robin asked.  
"Actually, now is as good a time as any. However... we won't be able to use Anja's Notebook while she is in another world, unless she has the Eternity Quill. And, since that isn't in Eagleland... Robin, get down!" Ness shouted. Robin awkwardly ducked, and looked up to see a bolt of energy fly over his head.

"Starmen... but... Paula! Get over here! We have company!"

"Starmen? I thought we wiped the last of them out of here seven years ago! Never mind, let's show those fools up again." Side by side, Ness and Paula launched concentrated blasts of PSI attacks at the group of Starmen down the street from them. Within seconds, they were fried.

"There are more somewhere. There has to be," Poo said, walking up to Ness and Paula. "Nice moves, though, guys." As he finished speaking, a huge tearing sound sounded in the sky near them. The group turned around to see a massive rift in the sky that had just formed, and a black, transparent path descending from the rift to the ground. The group watched in horror as cavalry knights, generals, and soldiers descended en masse from the rift.

"Everyone! Prepare for battle! They've found us- and a way to cross over dimensions, it seems." The group drew their weapons, and stood there, tense, at the entrance to the city, awaiting the soldiers.

"Ness," Robin asked. "What should we do to fight these people? What are their weaknesses?"

"They look like Calagua's second or third highest guard," Ness replied. "Powerful soldiers that will give us a really big run for our money. Exploit their uniformity and orders to stay in rank- break their rank, and they can no longer fight to the best of their ability. Watch out for the cavalry, they can cut us down easily if we don't watch it."

"Ness, look..." Chrom pointed at the rift. More soldiers were pouring out of it. There had to be thousands by now, far more than the group could handle. "Everyone, get ready. I don't intend to let any of you die, but I can't make any promises. Abandon all honor I've ever taught you... fight like rogues, if you have to. It's kill or be killed. We can't let them take Anja, or everything we've ever known will vanish into the dust."

"Right." Robin responded. "Everyone, get ready to- they're here!" he finished, shouting.

"Hyaaaa- huh?" Lucina said as she charged forward. "Everyone, stop."

"Lucina, are you crazy? STOP?!" Maribelle shouted. "I'd like to live another day!"

"No, seriously! Stop, and look!" Lucina pointed to the middle of the soldiers. There was a figure in the midst of them, slicing soldiers down like knives through butter. He, she, it moved like a whirlwind, felling their ranks like it wasn't any harder than brushing your teeth. The group watched in awe as the swordsman sliced every last soldier down, then stopping in front of Robin, his sword point on the ground. He looked up.

"Who... who are you?" Robin asked, his voice stuttering in awe. His reponse chilled each of them to the bone.

"I'm Marth."


	6. The Notebook's Secret

Robin looked up from his tome in awe. Could this man, standing here in front of them, really be Marth, the Hero-King of legend? There was really only one way to figure it out for sure.

"Marth, if it is really you, and Chrom, both of you, hold out your swords." They did as he said, and the two held out their swords, the tips clinking together as they gleamed in the sun. Robin looked closely at the two swords. They were identical, except for slightly more wear on Chrom's. They were definitely the same sword, there was no mistaking it. "It is the same sword… he really is the Hero-King", Robin finished.

"In the flesh," Marth responded. "I am the Hero-King, at your service."

"At ours? Why exactly have you come?" Chrom asked, lowering his sword.

"I was about to ask the same thing," Ness said, who was standing just behind and to the left of Chrom.

"I believe you all could use my help. Without me, that group of soldiers would have been much harder for you to defeat." As he finished the sentence, he smiled.

"He does have a point," Paula said. "It definitely would have taken us a while longer."

"Exactly," Marth said in response. "Now, where are we off to?" Ness explained his teleport to Marth.

"We need to go there, but leave her-" Ness pointed at Anja, "-somewhere safe, here in Onett. I plan to leave one of us Eagleland natives here with her. Do I have any volunteers?"

"I'll stay with her," Jeff volunteered. I'm the only one without PSI, after all."

"Then it's done. Jeff, take her to my house, and stay with her. We will come back for you after we've defeated whoever we need to." With that, Jeff took Anja up the road, to Ness's house, as Ness and Paula prepared to warp the group back to Calagua. Ness put his fingertips to his head and focused, and Paula did the same. The group began to feel light, then warped back to the tree-dotted field outside Calagua Castle. Marth looked around, then saw the castle.

"That must be the castle," Marth said, looking up at the imposing stone structure. "There must be a door somewhere that can take us inside." He led the group up the the fortress, and the group spread out, looking for a door. Lucina spoke up.

"Here! I found a door!" She said. "But I can't get- it- open! Rgh!" She gave the door handle a massive heave, but her hands flew off the door and she landed on her back. "That didn't go over so well..."

"Here. Let me try." Ness stood in front of the door, and concentrated a PSI Flash on the door lock. The power of his PSI clicked the lock open, and the group followed Ness inside.

"All right," Robin said. "We need to find the emperor, whatever his name is. The one with the eternal rule over Calagua." The first thing, perhaps, is to take out the various guards throughout this fortress. Everyone got it? Let's go!" With that, the group followed Ness, Marth, and Robin through the fortress.  
"Gaurds. Let me handle this one," Marth said, as he peered around the corner to see a guard facing the opposite way. Marth held his sword parallel to the ground, then thrust it forward at the speed of light, piercing completely through the guard's body. Marth slid his sword out of the guard, and he slid to the ground, dead. A scream from another guard, then an alarm.

"We won't be able to fight in a cramped corridor like this," Paula said. "We need to get into that room where the guard was. We'll be able to fight in there." With her words, the party followed Paula into the large room where the guard was.

"Everyone, keep a watch on the doors," Chrom commanded. As he spoke, guards started to stream in through the doors. "The battle's here! Get ready, they won't go down easily!" PSI sparked from Ness, Paula, and Poo's heads as they readied their PSI powers. Chrom, Lucina, and Lon'qu drew their swords, Morgan, Nowi, and Nah transformed into dragons, and Robin drew his tomes. "Ready!" Ness, Paula, and Poo threw out PSI, and Chrom engaged in a swordfight with a hgih-ranked quard before throwing him down the an overhand strike. Nowi unleashed a blast of dragonic energy on a group of soldiers, and Nah and Morgan followed up, scorching the group of soldiers and making them run back where they came. One by one, the soldiers were driven back, either by Lucina or Chrom's sword skills, Robin's magic, Morgan, Nowi, or Nah's dragonic attacks, or Poo, Paula, or Ness's PSI skills. Eventually, the last of the guards were gone. The floor of the hall was slicked with blood, and the group had to watch where they were stepping as the made their way to a large door. There were several locks on the door, and as Ness tried a PSI Flash on the lock, it didn't even budge. He tilted his head quizically.

"If only we had a way to open the door..." he said, a puzzled look on his face. Perhaps we need to search this place for a key.

"Agh!" A cry came from behind them. Ness turned around and saw Chrom on the ground, gripping his shoulder. "We need someone to heal him, and quick!"

"Don't worry. Healing is my specialty," Lissa said, and raised her staff, coating Chrom in a shining light. The wound on his shoulder sealed itself up, and Chrom stood up, shaking himself off.

"Now that that's over with… we need a key, right?" he asked.

"Yes," Marth replied. "But we have no idea where this key is, and besides, we need multiple keys. There are four locks on the door. We would, technically, need four different keys. And if we have enough trouble finding one, where would we find-"

"Here you go!" Lucina said, handing Marth a key ring with five keys on it. "These look like the keys you would need to open the doors, but if we are going to find the Empress in there, we are going to need Anja and her notebook."

"Then, in that case, the rest of you wait here. I'm going to warp myself to Onett and bring them back." As he finished speaking, Ness closed his eyes, and with a flash of PSI energy, was gone. One by one, the group sat down. Lucina drew circles in the blood on the floor half-heartedly, and everyone else sat in silence. After what seemed like hours, there was a pale flash of light, and Ness returned, Anja next to him. "We're back. Now to unlock that door!" Ness said, and the rest of the group stood up. He clicked keys into the locks, and after all four had been unlocked, the door slowly started to open. Ness walked inside, and instantly felt weak. As the group filed in, Lucina, Chrom, Nowi, and Nah immediately dropped to the floor, unconscious. Paula felt it hard to breathe, as did Poo. Marth could barely keep his eyes awake, yet Robin felt almost no pain, and Anja felt normal. Robin looked up to see a yellow-robed figure, a young man, perhaps in his late teens, with his eyes closed. Written on nothing, ancient magical writing in a long-forgotten language swirled around him. As Anja eyed the walls closer, she could see magical writing on them in a language she couldn't comprehend.

"The magical energy..." Paula stuttered, gasping for air. "It's… so powerful..."

"Welcome." The person spoke, still with his eyes closed. "My name is Elcana, emperor of Calagua. I don't wish to harm you, but rather to understand why you have came."

"You're the emperor that is causing pain to all people of this country!" Robin said, gripping one of his tomes.

"Calm down," Elcana said. "I have no wish to harm these people. I'm not the one doing it, but there's something I'm missing to stop the people who are."

"So you're not some evil freak, bent on genocide?" Robin asked, quizzically. Elcana laughed.

"Of course not. I see I have some explaining to do." As he finished speaking, he sat up and opened his eyes, looking straight at Robin. "Several years ago, I was a friendless child. I didn't have many talents, and I had no one to talk to. Then, I met this girl. I liked her, I liked her a lot. But, she didn't seem to see it. She ignored me, so I tried to do whatever I could to get her to like me. I tried to fight, but someone would always beat me. I tried to solve the world's mysteries, but always failed. Then I found some old magical tomes in my father's basement. They fascinated me, so I studied them as much as I could. I got good at magic, and I thought that if I could become good enough at it, maybe she would love me. I spent months researching magic, the more forbidden and powerful, the better. One day, I found a book that contained a spell so powerful I was sure it would get her to love me. It was called the Forbidden Flames, a fire spell capable of ending the world as we know it and turning it into a hell on earth. I took the spell, and showed it to her, and told her I could use it. It did the opposite of what I thought it would- it scared her away from me. She ran from me, and I never saw her again. Alone again in the world, I practiced my magic. It became my life, my obsession. One day, I tried talking to her again, but she called me a freak and said she never wanted to see me alive again. Anger grew inside me, and one day, my fire magic killed someone's pet. Seeing as I had done it, the people I thought I could trust banished me to this cold, desolate land. Thrown away from by the people I knew, revenge and anger consumed me, and I continued to study long-forbidden magic, my magical power growing stronger each day. Anyone that came into contact with me was killed immediately, my magical power was so strong. The people of this place, Calagua, sealed me away atop a mountain, where I wouldn't kill anyone again. But, when they needed my help, two years ago, when some person was taking over Calagua, I agreed to help, and if I won, make me emperor. I killed the man, and such I was made emperor. I thought, perhaps if I was an emperor, she would see me, and love me. But she had forgotten about me. So, I decided that I would devote my time to learning to control my magic, and thus, I have gained the power to toy with people's lives as I wish. The reason all of you are alive right now is by my grace. I could kill all of you where you stand, but I choose not to. However, the one thing that would make me truly happy- having her love me, say she does, and mean it- I can't get, unless I can go back in time and change the past. To never learn magic, to just get the courage-" tears filled Elcana's eyes as he spoke, "- to ask her to love me. Before she hated me, before I ruined the one chance I ever had with someone. I placed a magical seal on her, so that if I ever allowed my magic to burn the world to ashes, she would be unhurt. She is the only person that won't feel pain from my magic. The one thing that possesses the power to have me rewrite history- the Notebook of Fate. She owns it. I have tried for years to locate her and get it back from her." Robin lowered his tome. "Robin. Stand aside." Elcana waved his hand at Robin, and Robin stepped aside to reveal Anja sitting behind him. Elcana's eyes widened. "You… could it be?"

"No, no, it isn't!" Anja said, putting her hands up and taking a step back.

"Let me see that notebook," Elcana said, and reached his hand out. "Why won't it work? Why can't I get the notebook from her? Is my magic failing, or is that the notebook? Wait… you're the girl. Anja. The girl who, four years ago, rejected me." Elcana's eyes started burning.

"Don't touch her!" Robin said, raising his tome.

"You fool!" Elcana laughed. "Do you really think you, with your childish magic, would even make me feel anything? Your magic is so weak, and I'm so powerful, you could be here all day and I wouldn't feel a thing!" Elcana raised his hand.

"Elcana." Anja said, her voice clear. "Stop. Why are you doing all this?"

"You know why," Elcana replied, his eyes filled with tears. "Because you never thought of me as special! You always wanted to be with him! You never wanted to be with me! What did he do better than me? Was he better looking than me? Why did you pick him over me? Every time I saw you with him, it was like I was being sliced open on stones, it hurt so much! You had no idea! You never cared about me! You said you did, but you never really did! You only cared about him!" As he spoke, Elcana's eyes blazed.

"I didn't know you felt like that..." Anja said, softly.

"Of course you knew! Don't act like you don't! The way I acted towards you- you should have been able to figure it out! But you didn't care! All you wanted was him!"

"I honestly didn't know you felt that way about me… if I would have known..." Tears started falling from Anja's face as she spoke.

"Good! Cry! Feel a bit of the pain I felt every single time I saw you with him! Now you have a small taste of what it was like for me, knowing every single day, the one person I cared about the most didn't want me!" Elcana roared, his eyes ablaze and magic emanating from his body.

"It's not that I didn't want you, but… you never asked me, so I never knew it for sure..." Anja said, tears runnng down her face.

"Don't play that game with me," Elcana growled. He snapped his hands from his chest to his waist, and they ignited in a magical blaze of force. The magic energy in the room tightened, and Robin fell to the floor, gasping for breath. "I could kill you where you stand. I could completely vanquish your body, your spirit, your soul, and every single trace of your existence from this world with a simple swish of my hand. Yet… I can't bring myself to do it. Why not? Why can't I kill you?"

"Because..." Robin choked out, "You… you still love her..." Robin crumpled on the floor, leaving Anja and her notebook to face Elcana alone.

"Is he right?" Elcana asked himself. "Do I really still love Anja, after she has caused me so much pain, suffering, and agony? Do I really still do?"

"Do you?" Anja asked, gripping her notebook firmly, looking at him. The magic energy radiated off of Elcana's hands, and he closed his eyes. Anja braced herself, and opened her notebook, but the attack never came. Elcana dropped his hands back down, and the magic pressure in the room dissipated immediately. Robin sat up, coughing, and Ness stood up to look at Elcana, but said nothing. The rest were still unconscious.

"I do. I guess I can say I can. All this pain, all of it… it was worth it, in the end, to be able to see you again." Elcana said, tears coming from his eyes, staining his yellow robes. "Anja..." Anja walked forward, dropping the notebook, and embraced Elcana, who was still crying. "It may have only been five years, but… it feels like… it's been three thousand years."

"I never meant what I said to you, about not wanting to see you again, but I didn't know how much I really meant to you… I'm sorry for everything. Now, the Notebook… are we going to go back and rewrite history?" To go back, before all this?" Elcana looked thoughtful, then shook his head.

"No. That's cowardice, trying to avert the decisions I made and get out of them. I will deal with the choices I have made, and I will change everything with you at my side. I love you, Anja."

"I love you too, Elcana. And I mean it." The pair kissed, and cheers erupted from behind them.

"All right! Way to go! Happy ending!" Chrom said, raising his sword.

"Yeah! Let it happen! Hoo hah!" Robin exlaimed, raising a fist into the air.

"Save it for later!" Ness said. "But for now, it's time to party!" And with that, the group erupted into happiness, hugging and laughing and cheering.

Many hours later, when the party was dying down, a lone figure was watching what was going on. Anja had slipped away from the group, and Elcana was sleeping by her. She was writing in her notebook. It had been a good day. Anja closed her notebook, and looked at Elcana. I hope they like it, she thought to herself. She opened up her notebook, and looked at the last line.

It had been a good day, it read.


End file.
